Officers of the Puncak Jaya Police arrested Lanus Murib, 24, an alleged member of the armed civilian group Militer Murib from Gome, in a kiosk in Ilaga district, Puncak Jaya, on Tuesday.

“At around 7:10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the police arrested an alleged member of the Gome armed criminal group led by Militer Murib on the terrace of the HH Kiosk in Kampung Kago, Ilaga district, Puncak Jaya regency,” Puncak Jaya Police chief Adj.Sr.Comr.Marselis told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said a Papua Police special team led by Adj.Sr.Comr Budi Basra had been closely watching the suspect before the arrest.

“Earlier, the special police team had received reports about the suspect and his weapons. They later conducted an espionage operation and arrested him in a raid,” he said.

Marselis added that during the raid, the police had confiscated an FN pistol containing 10 bullets from Lanus.

“We are still investigating to see whether the criminal group confiscated the weapon from police or military personnel,” he said.

Lanus is currently being questioned at the Ilaga Police in Puncak Jaya regency, Papua.

Separately, as many as 23 members of the armed criminal group Goliat Tabuni were reported to have left their hiding place in a mountainous area of Papua and expressed their willingness to give up the fight.

“The 23 armed criminal group members said they wanted to join with the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and requested us to build ‘honai’ as places for them to live,” the command’s spokesperson Lt.Col.Teguh Pudji said.

Tatang went on that he would convey their wish to the Puncak Jaya administration. He also agreed to develop a military post in Tingginambut, as further requested by the 23 Goliat Tabuni group members. (ebf)

2) Papua Police Chief Proposes Disbanding of KNPB

Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Police Chief Inspector General Yotje Mende proposed to local parliament that the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) be disbanded for its links to separatist rebels.

“KNPB have been brutal recently. I propose it be disbanded because it is an illegal organization. I consider it an underground organization that drives the Free Papua Movement. I asked the Central Government’s support to state the KNPB’s dissolution although it is not officially been authorized,” Chief Mende said on Monday (23/3/2015).

He said KNPB was seeking to gain public sympathy for its goal of independence. “I took action twice against them. At first, it was happened in last February in Nabire. We had sufficient evidence. There was a document asking for support from overseas, including from Benny Wenda who currently abroad. I have reported it to the Indonesian Parliament’s Commission I to disband him go abroad. Because he’s the main actor to obtain the overseas support,” he said.

Meanwhile the KNPB Spokesperson Bazoka Loga said the police do not just talk. They must have a reason to disband his organization. The Papua Police must explain their reason. He said so far the criminal actor was always the police not KNPB. “They have no evidence that KNPB was the organization that threated the country or organization of crime,” he told Jubi by phone. (Arjuna Pademme/Arnold Belau/rom)

3) Number of Native Papuans Drop to 40 Percent in Merauke

Merauke, Jubi – Merauke Regent Romanus Mbaraka said non-native Papuans now account for 60 percent of the regency’s population, while indigenous people make up the rest.

The majority of native Papuans live in the villages and some of them are on the Kimaam island, he said.“We must not allow Papuans to live as it is. We need to motivate and encourage them continuously,” Merauke regent said on Saturday (03/21/2015).

Therefore, One of the programs to improve Papuans’ live is by distributing hundreds of millions rupiah to the villages.“I also want to thank the people of Tanimbar who have entered in this area and have provide guidance and ongoing motivation to Papuans, “he said.

Chairman of Tanimbar fellowship, Soleman Jambormias added, in any event, it has always built good communication with all the Tanimbar here in order to motivate Papuans to work and to encourage their children to pursue education to a higher level. (Frans L Kobun/ Tina)

4) Number of Villages in Papua Increase Sharply

Jayapura, Jubi – The number of villages in Papua has increased significatly.

According to the new Home Affairs Ministry data, there are 524 districts, 107 sub-districts and 5,118 villages in Papua.

The Earlier data from the ministry indicated there were 467 districts, 90 sub-districts and 4,766 villages.“Some of new villages are in Lanny Jaya and in Keerom,” the head of Governance of Papua province, Sendius Wonda told reporters in Jayapura, Papua on Monday (03/23/2015).

According to him, the number of villages increased to the lack of coordination between regency and province that the regent directly applied and submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs without reporting to the provincial government.“This division is not through the governor and it is unethic. Yesterday I went to Jakarta and I said if you really want to keep the authority of the central government, the mechanism should be implemented”he said.

Although the village regulation No. 6 of 2014 provided authority to the regents in the area, the regents must first seek an approval and the views of the governor. Once it is approved than it can be proposed to the Ministry.“The process will take more or less 20 days, after receiving the draft local regulations. So you should coordinate first, “Sendius Wonda added.

Previously. Papua governor Lukas Enembe said Papua should have had data that was not far different to the Home Ministry regulation No 18 of 2013.

Because the synchronization of the data obtained from the results of the evaluation, will be used as the regulation of Papua governor No. 22 of 2010 on Guidelines for Determination of the name and code as well as data administrative area and villages in Papua.“I hope Papua province may have valid data in accordance with the Home Ministry Regulation No. 18 of 2013,” Enembe hoped. (Alexander Loen/ Tina)

5) Bridges that Cost 300 Billion Rupiah to Build Are Wasted

Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan councilors have found a number of problems related to infrastructure construction in Jayapura Regency.

The Papua Legislative Council’s Commission IV member Orgenes Kaway said construction on five bridges located in Nimbokrang Sub-district was not yet completed while other bridges are rarely used because they cannot be accessed by the public.“It means it was inappropriate. I don’t know which agency is building these bridges. But we asked for it to be reviewed because it is useless to build a bridge while road access is not being repaired,” Kaway said on Monday (23/3/2015).

He said any government’s project must be efficient and benefited to the public. If not, it would be a wasting of budget.“Not only the bridges, the road and bridge construction at Doyo and Sentani surrounding areas are also not finished yet though the budget was already installed,” he said.

He hope the construction of bridges in Nimbokrang Sub-district as well as the road and bridge construction in Doyo could be finished within Additional Budget 2015.

Meanwhile on one occasion, another Commission IV member Thomas Sondegau said the infrastructure development at regions, must meet the target. “Do not build something (infrastructure) which couldn’t be access by public. It was wasting of budget. Useless,” said Sondegau at that time. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

6) Papua Mobile Brigade Beat Students for Wrongly Accused

Jayapura, Jubi – Police have been accused of torturing four Papuan youths, a human rights group said .

The victims of abuse allegedly by members of the police Mobile Brigade last week were identified as Timotius Tabuni (18), Lesman Jigibalom (23), Eldi Abimael (18) and Mies Tabo (15) at Cigombong, Kotaraja.

“Yesterday (Sunday, 22/3/2015), KontraS (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence) reported this case to Papua Police Provost Department. It is said the case couldn’t be processed unless we could have the perpetrators. At the same day, based on their family’s request, we accompanied them to Papua Police Office to meet the Police Chief in order to report this incident,” KontraS Papua Coordinator Olga Hamadi told reporters at Padang Bulan on Monday (23/3/2015).

She explained this incident had no connection with a conflict involved Mobile Brigade officers and highland-origin residents at Abepura Mall on Wednesday night at 21:00 on 18 March 2015. “These boys intended returning home at Kotaraja Dalam but interrupted by officers who then torture them in front of Cigombong Market,” Hamadi said.

She further said several attorneys have signed a statement letter to provide a legal assistance to the victims and their family. “This can not be tolerated because it was inhuman act,” she said.

Meanwhile, Timotius’ sister Lis Tabuni said the boys had no idea when the officers interrupted and bullied them. Then a witness came by to our house telling his brother with his friends were beaten.“So, my uncle went to the Mobile Brigade Headquarter at Kotaraja that night. But the officers told him the boys were under their custody and fine. They will be send home tomorrow after their parents come and give them advice. So my uncle just went home because he thought they were just fine,” she said.

In fact, she added, his brother and his friends needed emergency treatment because they were seriously injured as the result of beating. The torture committed by Mobile Brigade officers was occurred two hours after a clash involved Mobile Brigade officers and highland-origin resident at Abepura Mall while the four boys were wrongly accused. Because they are also highland-origin, the officers thought they were also involved into the clash.

As a result of beating, Edi Kogoya (18) got fractured ribs and bruises on the back and scuffed knees as a result of being dragged on the asphalt path, while Timotius Tabuni lost his lost front teeth, had injured head and mouth, scratched back for being stabbed, bruises face and scuffed knees.

Further Lesman Jigibalom (23) was stabbed with a bayonet on the right shoulder to the lungs and bruises on the entire body. He is now still in critical condition after lungs surgery and hospitalized at Bhayangkara Hospital. While Mies Tabo (15) got bruises on the front and back head as well as shoulders as result of being dragged on the asphalt path. His forehead and knees are also scratched.

The Papua Mobile Brigade Deputy Chief Adjunct Commissionaire Tono Budiarto denied his officers committed to the action. He said it was his officers who came to save the boys from the raging mass at Cigombong Market.“And now my officers who actually saved them were being accused. That night at 21:00 we were still concentrated at the Abepura Police Office reconciling people who involved in the dispute in front of Abepura Mall. And at 23:00 my officers was reported there was a clash and amok against these four students and they secured them to the office and brought them to the Bhayangkara Hospital,” he revealed as reported by a daily news in Jayapura. (Arnold Belau/rom)